


James Barnes, Entertainment Specialist

by dracusfyre



Series: Winteriron Week [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pre-Slash, Secret Identity Fail, Silver Fox!Tony Stark, Waltzing, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-07 22:17:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19858885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracusfyre/pseuds/dracusfyre
Summary: Bucky meets a mysterious man while he's working at a wedding and gets a little bit- okay, maybe a lot -swept off his feet, both literally and figuratively.For the Winteriron Week prompt "weddings" and my Tony Stark Bingo square S5: Weddingfic.





	James Barnes, Entertainment Specialist

“Weddings are just the worst, aren’t they?” Bucky said, plopping himself down at the table next to a man who appeared to be staring morosely into space and drinking alone.

“Hm?” The man blinked and focused his gaze on Bucky, warm whiskey brown eyes looking clear despite the empty champagne flutes littering the flower-strewn table. “Oh, I actually like weddings,” he said. “Drinking, dancing, cake. What’s not to like?”

 _Drama, divorce, cheap bastards,_ Bucky thought with an inward sigh. “Then why the long face?” The reception was just starting to ebb as people trailed away; the cake had just been cut and dirty plates were stacked on every table. Soon the bride and groom would leave, then the wait staff would start gathering trash, and the guests would take the hint and leave. In short, it was a bit early for someone to be drinking alone and looking sad – in an hour or two, yeah, but right now there were still plenty of people dancing and laughing under the huge white tent with its fairytale lighting, just none in this particular corner. 

“The bride is my ex,” the man explained.

“Ouch.” Bucky reflexively glanced over to where the glowing bride was leaning against her new groom, her red hair in its fancy updo contrasting beautifully with her tasteful gown.

“No, it’s not like that," the man said quickly. "It was a long time ago, and I’m very happy for her. I’ve also been friends with the groom for years, so I’m excited for both of them. It’s just…” he sighed and spun the half-empty champagne glass between his fingers.

“Nah, I get it.” Bucky privately thought of it as the emotional wedding hangover. After everyone gets all the celebratory joy out of their system, sometimes they were left with an unexplainable sadness. When he mentioned it to his roommate, Natasha said it sounded like _toska,_ an untranslatable word that could mean anything from an ache deep in the soul to lovesick to bored. “It’s still good of you to be here.”

The man quirked his lips as if at a hidden joke and shrugged. “How about you? Who are you here with?”

“I’m an old friend of the groom’s from college,” Bucky lied. “I came in from out of town for this and I’ll be leaving tomorrow.” It was his standard line in these situations, but when one of the man’s eyebrows went up and his gaze sharpened Bucky got the feeling he had fucked up.

“A friend from college,” the man said skeptically. “If you had said a friend of the _bride’s_ from college, I might have believed you, but I know Happy never went to college.”

 _Shit._ The _one_ time Bucky doesn’t do his homework. “You got me,” he said, raising his hands. “But I’m not crashing the party, I promise. I work for the wedding planner.”

“Yeah?” The man’s gaze went from him to one of the waitstaff in their black tuxedos and Bucky knew what he was thinking, because Bucky was wearing a suit and tie like he was one of the guests.

“I’m her assistant,” Bucky tried, and there was that skeptical eyebrow again.

“Mrs. Trahn’s assistant is Megan,” the man said. He rested his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand, thankfully looking entertained and not angry at catching Bucky in another lie. “Try again.”

“Damn, you’re good, aren’t you? What if I _were_ a wedding crasher?”

“Then I’d have to ask security to detain you for questioning,” the man said apologetically. “Everyone here has been thoroughly investigated before they were allowed to attend. You can’t be too careful.”

Well that explained why Victoria had to run a background check on him before this gig, despite the fact they’d been working together for almost four years now. “So I’m going to guess if I say that I have to use the restroom right now a couple of guys in black sunglasses are going to find me before I get there.”

“Pretty much. Unless you can come up with a _legitimate_ reason for being here.” The man was still watching him with amusement, eyes sparkling and generous mouth turned up slightly in one corner. “But I’ll make sure to tell them not to rough up that pretty face.”

 _Who is this guy? Part of the mafia?_ But because Bucky wasn’t known for his caution, he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table and looking up at the man from under his lashes. “You really think I’m pretty?”

“The truth first, please. We can flirt _after_ I’m sure that you’re not here to kill anyone.”

“ _Kill_ someone?” Bucky echoed, surprise making him sound shrill. “Christ, I thought you were worried about paparazzi. Ok, the truth is that Victoria really did hire me, I swear.” Bucky reached for his wallet and pulled out a business card. “I’m kind of a professional wedding guest.”

“Like I said, can’t be too careful,” the man commented as he took the card from Bucky. As he studied it, the man’s eyebrows climbed even higher. “James Barnes, entertainment specialist,” he read from the card. “I gotta be honest, it sounds like a euphemism for stripper or call girl.”

“Well, I’m still working on figuring out a better job title,” Bucky said defensively, trying to take the card back. The man moved it out of his reach with a smirk and tucked it into a pocket. “Victoria hires me to make sure everyone has a good time at the reception. I ask the wallflowers to dance, flirt with the old ladies, lead the toasts if people are feeling shy, that sort of thing. Make sure no one is getting too familiar with the gifts table, keep an eye out for people who might be drinking too much-"

“And check in on people who are drinking alone?”

The arch look the man was giving him made Bucky flush for some reason. “Well, yeah. That too.”

“Is that the only reason why you came over?” When Bucky hesitated, the man’s eyes softened. “You can be honest, I won’t be offended.”

“What do you say when your job is to do something you wanted to do anyway?” Bucky could feel his ears burning and he had to look away from the man’s too-sharp gaze. He didn’t often hook up with people he met through his job, but sometimes he made exceptions and he had kinda been thinking that maybe this guy would be one of them. His crimson dress shirt flattered his dusky skin and the silver in his hair, and the lines around his eyes only made him sexier, like Harrison Ford or George Clooney. But it was his hands that had really attracted him; they were long-fingered with broad palms, like a pianist, gentle where they cradled the delicate champagne flute, but covered with intriguing nicks and callouses that didn’t seem to fit with the clearly bespoke suit and pricey watch. 

At his answer, the man smiled, and suddenly the already handsome man became breathtaking. “Well, Mr. Barnes, give me a moment to verify your story with Mrs. Trahn, and then maybe you can ask me to dance so I won’t be a wallflower.”

“Oh, okay, sure,” Bucky managed as the man stood and intercepted Victoria as she was bringing out more bottles of wine. He was immediately distracted by the way the cut of the man’s slacks fit over the mouthwatering curve of his ass, and realized very belatedly that he had never asked for the man’s name. As he watched, Victoria seemed a little put out that Bucky had told him about his job - she liked him to keep it on the down low - but the man seemed to charm her out of her irritation because as he walked back to Bucky she was beaming at them.

“Can I have this dance?” The man said, holding out his hand.

Smiling, Bucky took it and stood. “I think that’s my line,” he said as they found an empty spot on the dance floor. “What’s your name, handsome?”

“Tony,” the man said as he put one hand on Bucky’s back, pulling him just a little closer than propriety would dictate for a wedding, and took his other hand, holding it away from their bodies in a perfect posture for classical dance.

Surprised, Bucky automatically put his hand on Tony’s shoulder, straightening his frame automatically and resisting the urge to test the give of the muscle under his palm. “Just Tony? You know my full name, phone number, and probably social security number, and all I get is Tony?” He complained as they started to dance, stepping easily into the rhythm of the music. The man’s smile was even more dazzling up close; Bucky had assumed that Tony was taller than him because he had so much presence, but as they moved to the music he saw that they were pretty even, which, his brain helpfully supplied, meant his mouth was in easy kissing distance.

Tony must have noticed the way Bucky’s eyes had flickered to his mouth, because his smile widened and he bit his lip in a way that was clearly no accident. “Just Tony for now,” he said. “I’m kind of enjoying the fact that you don’t seem to know who I am, so if it’s okay with you, I’d like to flirt with the handsome young James and you flirt with the devastatingly attractive Tony, and we'll see what happens.”

“Oh God, you’re in the mafia, aren’t you?” Bucky accused. He didn’t realize until Tony swept him into a turn that they had fallen into a waltz; he also taught classical dance so it wasn’t often that he met someone who keep up with him, but Tony led with the effortless confidence of someone with years of training and damn was that sexy. “Also, call me Bucky.”

Tony laughed when Bucky said mafia, and shook his head. “No, a rather more exclusive organization than that,” he said mysteriously. Then he led them into a flawless chassé and Bucky fell a little bit in love. “Is being a good dancer part of your job?”

“It’s actually how I got the job,” Bucky confessed. “I-“ he paused to concentrate as they sped up to avoid another pair of dancers and executed a closed Telemark into a double reverse spin. “Impressive,” he said a little breathlessly as Tony brought them back to the box step.

“I was going to say the same,” Tony said, hand tightening a little on Bucky’s and making his heart skip a beat. “Tell me, are you as good at leading as you are following?”

“You’ll have to try me and find out,” Bucky said, batting his eyelashes outrageously and drawing another one of those breathtaking smiles.

As the music ended, Tony spun him and then pressed him into a dramatic dip, the hand on his back strong and warm and sure as it helped him balance in the deep back bend. “You know, I think I’d really like that,” he said softly, the softness in his eyes making Bucky’s pulse race, then pulled him back up to standing. Loud applause startled them, breaking the moment, and Bucky grinned sheepishly.

“I have to mingle for another hour or so and then I’ll be free if you want to wait,” he said, mostly because Victoria was eyeballing them and he couldn’t afford to get on her bad side, no matter how attracted he was to Tony.

“I’ll be here,” Tony promised, and squeezed his hand one more time before letting go and take a step back. The places where he’d been touching Bucky tingled with remembered warmth and Bucky had to remind himself again that he needed this job. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly as Tony turned away to speak to the bride, and got himself a fortifying glass of wine to help him make it through the rest of the party.

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize to any waltzers out there, I'm basing this off of 3 dance classes and wikipedia.


End file.
